1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless networks, and more specifically to convenient use of push button mode of WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) for provisioning wireless devices.
2. Related Art
WLAN (Wireless local area network) technology is used at locations such as homes to facilitate communication capability for various wireless devices. In general, a WLAN environment contains an access point (AP), which receives packets from one wireless device and forwards the packet to or towards a target device, thereby operating as a switching device.
There has been recognized a general need to implement secure communication between wireless devices and APs, or between wireless device and other systems on a wired network via an AP. Secure communication implies features such as preventing malicious or unintended wireless devices from communicating via an AP, and also ensuring that third parties cannot decipher the packet content by snooping on the wireless medium.
A wireless device generally needs to be provisioned before being able to communicate with other devices via an AP implementing various security measures. Provisioning normally entails configuring (e.g., storing at appropriate locations) the wireless device with various parameters that enable the wireless device to comply with the security measures enforced by the AP. In many WLAN environments the parameters include SSID (Service set identification) of the network and a passphrase, as is well known in the relevant arts.
WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) is a standard defined by the Wi-Fi Alliance™, that has been adopted by many vendors of APs and wireless devices, to simplify configuration of a new wireless device in a wireless network at locations such as homes. A push-button mode is one of the approaches defined by WPS, in which a user is normally required to press respective buttons of an AP and a new wireless device (enrollee) within a short duration (typically 2 minutes) such that the AP (or other device operating as a registrar) can automatically provide the configuration information/parameters to the wireless device.
There may be situations in which it is desirable that such provisioning be made convenient, as suitable in corresponding environments.
In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements. The drawing in which an element first appears is indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the corresponding reference number.